Teens across the country lead movement to make proms phone-free.
NEW YORK, May 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — #HalfTheStory, a non-profit dedicated to improving the next generation’s relationship with technology, is working with students across the country to launch Screen Free Prom, a first-of-its-kind national movement encouraging teens to ditch their phones on the dance floor. The first two Screen Free Proms will take place this month, at Highland High in Salt Lake City and Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco.
After seeing proms across the country canceled due to phones (students were spending prom texting instead of dancing), the teens on the #HalfTheStory Teen Advisory Board were inspired to save the iconic American teen tradition of prom. By removing screens from proms, the aim is to promote mindful and memorable experiences for high school students across the country.
“Our collective phone use is currently leading to a significant sense of disconnection. We don’t have any student events that are also screen-free. I’m excited to see my peers come together without the distraction of phones, and truly dance like no one’s watching,” said Louise (age 17).
How does Screen Free Prom work? #HalfTheStory is working directly with teen leads at each school to make students’ Screen Free Prom dreams come true. Each school will have phone lockers for teens to check their phones in for the duration of prom, Polaroid cameras and photo booths so students can capture memories without screens, and a raffle with prizes that celebrate digital well-being.
“I always say, ‘teen work makes the dream work,’ and watching our teens take Screen Free Prom from idea to reality has been a dream come true. Every teen should have the opportunity to attend a prom without digital distraction, and we are so honored to bring our Screen Free Prom campaign to life across the country,” said Larissa May, Founder and Executive Director of #HalfTheStory.
The first Screen Free Prom in San Francisco was sponsored by Pinterest, one of #HalfTheStory’s earliest supporters. #HalfTheStory’s Teen Advisory Board also worked with Pinterest to create a Screen Free Prom toolkit, with pins to inspire teens everywhere to easily replicate Screen Free Prom at their school.
“As phones become more prevalent across the country, we have the opportunity to proactively shape a future where young people learn to think critically about what they consume online, and when they consume it. At Pinterest, we want to help empower young people to become responsible digital citizens, and are proud to be a part of #HalfTheStory’s Screen Free Prom,” said Alise Marshall, Senior Director of Corporate Affairs, Pinterest.
Through #HalfTheStory’s evidence-based education program, Social Media U, young people in schools across the US, UK, and Canada are taught the skills needed to have a healthy relationship with their screens. #HalfTheStory also has a teen advisory board of 27 teens from across the US that meets monthly to discuss policy and advocacy as it relates to teens and technology, and creates educational content for #HalfTheStory’s growing social channels and digital wellbeing Substack.
About #HalfTheStory
#HalfTheStory is a non-profit dedicated to improving the next generation’s relationship with technology. As the first youth-led non-profit of its kind, #HalfTheStory focuses on progressing education and advocacy work surrounding social media and tech use. Larissa May founded #HalfTheStory after facing her own struggles with social media and has spent the past 10 years driving a global movement towards digital wellness. #HalfTheStory’s funders include Pinterest, Pivotal, The Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation, The Archwell Foundation, and The Born This Way Foundation. In 2023, #HalfTheStory was selected by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex as one of the 26 organizations named to the first-ever Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund. In 2024, #HalfTheStory announced an education partnership with Girls Inc. to serve girls across the country.
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SOURCE #HalfTheStory
